Mark:

Catwoman is the latest in a long line of comic book conversions, that simply fails to shine.

I am getting a little bit sick of the attitude that seemingly has become prominent in Hollywood – that remaking a comic book, without showing any imagination or inventiveness, wil guarantee a hit, and big bucks. Sure, it may, but don’t you guys ever think of when you were kids, and all you wanted to do was make films? Or did you just wanna make money?

I guess I wish more of these films turned out like Spider-Man 2 and less like Catwoman, but we can’t always have what we wish! This film is pretty much by the numbers – an innocent gets harmed by some evil-doers – (make-up manufacturers?? Halle Berry is the face of Revlon for goodness sake!) – but then gets turned into a superhero by some freak occurence, wreaks revenge, and doesn’t get to live happily ever after… (I wonder if Stuart will think that breaches the no-spoiler policy?) The point is, this is the same film as so many others before it, and there is nothing to make it stand out from the pack.

Unless you’re a teenage boy and you like some cheap flesh. Why Catwoman would choose to dress herself so bizarrely is anyone’s guess, but I think it may have had more to do with dollar signs in Hollywood eyes than a practical necessity. Sure, Berry can get away with wearing this stuff, but that doesn’t make me like this film any more.

Benjamin Bratt? What does this guy do wrong, that so irritates me? I just can’t bear the bloke, and I don’t really know why that is. Whatever, he frustrated me here too – I wonder if he’ll ever get to be anything other than sidekick to a pushy woman? (eg. Miss Congeniality).

The action scenes are ok, but once you get over the fact that Miss Berry is flinging herself all over the room, it gets a bit tired. The editing flirts with the ridiculous, but never quite sinks to the depths of The Bourne Supremacy. Sound? Special Effects? The VFX in this film aren’t great, with some blue screen glitches, and moments that are clearly CGI. Disappointing, but another example of why substance will beat style.

I suppose this isn’t terrible, there are some fun moments to be had. It is overlong at 104 minutes. Watch it if you love comic book adaptations or semi-naked female ninjas.